Daddy
by IanPeriwinkle
Summary: The five times James accidentally called Len 'Daddy', and the one time it was purposeful. Rated T for language in later chapters. (Curse Len and his potty-mouth!)
1. Chapter 1

**Just a note: I LOVE the thought of a Dad/Son relationship between James and Len. It's just… so adorable! Which is why almost everything I write about either of them has little bits of that in them. And ****_this _****little beauty, shall focus on it. **

**The title basically explains what the fic is about: The five times James called Len 'Daddy' by accident, and the one time it was on purpose. I thought it would be cute… Besides which, I have NOTHING to do today. No school, no work… Nothing.**

**This will be separated into six chapters, because I tend to stretch things out a bit. (Best example of this was last year, when I was asked to do a six-hundred word story for an assignment. It ended up over three-thousand words before time was up, and my teacher could only shake his head at me)**

**_The First Time_**

I stand outside the door; Not wanting to go in, nor wanting to stay alone. I can feel the damp material sticking to my legs. I hadn't meant to do it! It was an accident.

Len was snoring inside. He told me when I first came that I shouldn't bother him unless it was an emergency, but I don't know what to do, and if I stay alone, the monsters might get me.

Tentatively, I push open the door and peek inside. It's even darker in there than here, but Len's in there – I can hear him! I put my foot into the bedroom. The floor creaks, and I shiver a little bit when Len moves.

"Wh-Wussat?"

I'm too scared to say anything – And I can feel the cold material getting warmer and wetter again. The sobs start. Mummy used to his me when I did this, but I can't help it – I don't want Len to be mad at me.

"Hey," He says, getting up slowly. I don't look up at him.

I think he notices what I've done, because when he moves towards me, he stops for a moment before getting close.

"It's," Len pauses, probably checking the time, "_Two in the bloody morning_!" He screams.

My sobs continue, and I feel him get closer again.

"What in the bloody hell are you –" He stops shouting, and turns on the light. "Oh, dude,"

I look up at him, and I cringe at his face: A mix of disgust and annoyance. Or that's what I see, anyway.

The sniffs escalate back into sobs, and I look back down in shame.

"Hey, kiddo," Len says, and he places his hands on my shoulders. "Listen," He stops and puts a hand through his hair. I think he might be tired – It _is _very early. I should have just waited in my bedroom. 'It's okay, y'know…" And he places his arms around me.

I gasp.

"What?" He pulls away suddenly, looking frantic, "Sorry – Did I hurt you? Are you –"

The tears still haven't stopped.

I pull myself closer to him, and rub my face into his bare chest.

He picks me up, not caring about the pee or my weight.

"Good boy," He whispers in my ear as he walks me to my room, "Good, good boy."

He cleans me up, and together we strip the bed.

When we're done, he tucks me in, and sits beside me for a few minutes – Not looking, nor touching me.

"Buddy, has this happened before?"

"No, Dadd –" I place my hands over my mouth. How could I say that to Len? He's not my father – Just my guardian.

But he looks over at me, shocked, but he's… smiling.

He kisses me on the forehead, and within a few minutes, I'm asleep.

**So... What did you think? If you like it, or if you hate it, you can always write me a little note. Just down there. Go on - There's a cute little box ****_right below me_****.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's part two. I still have nothing to do – Anyways, what did you guys think about the last part? I thought it would be cute. And I mean, come on, James was supposed to be eight whe he got taken in by the rogues, so that was… appropriate.**

**Anyway, this is the second time James calls Len 'Daddy'… I really like this – I'm probably going to really enjoy it. Only problem is… What'll I do once it's done? Maybe some more smut…**

**This chapter is from a third=person perspective, because first-person ****_really _****annoys me. It's also fairly long… I thought it would be a good idea to introduce some people… My ideas are rarely good.**

**_The Second Time_**

A nine-year-old Trickster sighed, sitting opposite a red-clad figure.

"But I don't get _why_!" He whined.

The Flash had brought the Trickster into the police station almost an hour ago after they had fought in the city for a short while. Luckily, the boy was _really _small, so carrying him in had been no problem for Barry, whose nephew by his wife was around the same age.

"Because you broke the law," Barry sighed, exasperated, "And Cold was nowhere in sight, either. Were you all alone today?"

"Mm-Hmm,"

"Then _you're _the person responsible."

The boy slumped further down in his chair.

"I wanna go _home_," James whined again, though this time sounding slightly worried.

"I know you do," The older man patted the boy on the shoulder, "But we need to wait for your guardian to show up."

"My head feels funny."

_That _grabbed the Flash's attention. "Your head?"

"Mm-Hmm,"

"How does it feel funny?" Barry pressed, feeling slightly concerned.

"I'm not thinking normal," The boy pouted, and crossed his arms.

The man in red paused, not quite knowing what to say. He knew that the boy was a genius, and that he was _very _young, but he didn't think that the boy would be able to tell how he thinks.

"James," He asked carefully, "How do you mean 'not thinking normal'?"

"Well, if I was thinking normal, I would be being all sad and mopey," The boy said, and though his grammar wasn't perfect, he could understand what the boy meant.

"But I'm not thinking normal, and I feel all woozy and," James paused to breathe, but when he did, his eyes filled with tears, "_I want my Lenny_!" He screamed.

Grimacing at the noise, Barry reached over and patted the weeping child's shoulder. "He'll be here soon, buddy," He said calmly, "Len'll be here soon."

A good two hours later, a man in his early thirties burst through the doors of Keystone's police station.

"I'm here for my kid!" The parka-clad villain yelled, as he found himself surrounded by all officers present.

They parted when the Flash walked – Not ran, but _walked_ – Into the room, holding a small boy who was sobbing hysterically.

"It's okay, guys," He said, walking towards a slightly stunned Captain Cold. "He's here for this one."

Len thanked the Flash gruffly, exchanging the Trickster carefully. Barry took Len's shoulder and whispered in his ear;

"We should talk,"

"About what?"

"The kid."

Cold looked more than slightly confused at this. "What's wrong with the kid?"

"Another room. Let's go _now_."

Barry grabbed Len and they sped to a small house in a suburban neighbourhood.

"Where –"

"My house. Come on – Inside."

The two men entered the house.

"Iris? You home?" The Flash called.

Len heard a female voice respond: "Upstairs with Wally, why?"

"Oh, great," Barry mumbled to himself, "Why's he here?" He yelled back.

"Rudy." The answer was short, but Cold noticed his cape pale considerably.

"Listen," Barry said, as a woman appeared on the stairs, "This guy's kid – Could you watch him for a second? We need to talk."

The woman – Iris – Seemed a bit breathless. Len supposed that having a super-villain appear in your house would be slightly shocking to anyone.

"Pass him to me," She said calmly, putting out her hands to take James.

Len held his boy to him, taken aback, but Iris seemed pleasant, so he handed the kid over. "Be careful with him," He whispered.

Iris nodded, and left to go back up the stairs where a red-headed boy about James' age stood.

_Well, at least he'll have company, _thought Len, as he walked into the living room with the Flash.

He stopped short when he saw the hero take off his mask. "Listen," The blonde man said, looking up at Len, "Don't tell anyone who I am, and I won't hurt you. I really need to talk to you about the kid."

"I sort of got that," Len laughed, "What, with how you were behaving in the police station and all,"

While Len smiled, Barry frowned.

"This is serious, _Leonard Snart_, and you should probably sit down for it."

Len's smile faltered, and he took a seat opposite the speedster.

"Okay, what's up?"

"I think…" Barry started, threading his hands through his short hair, "I think that James needs to see a counsellor. Or a psychiatrist. Or –"

"Wait," Len held up a hand, stopping Barry from continuing, "Are you trying to tell me the kid's crazy?"

"Not quite… You see, when I was talking to him earlier, he said that he 'wasn't thinking normal', and most kids wouldn't notice something like that. Has he been acting strangely?"

"Other than a few wet beds, and a tantrum or two, no… Not really. Do you think something might be bad?"

"I think he might need medication – He could be depressed."

"A nine-year-old? Depressed? You've got to be kidding me, Flasher…"

"I kid you not."

"Listen, I'll keep an eye on him," The older man sighed, and ran a hand through his thin hair, "But it may have to wait a while. We're not exactly… _rich_, if you get what I mean."

"I get you. But seriously, keep watch."

"Yeah."

The two men sat in silence for a few moments, when it was suddenly broken by a scream.

"I'm so sorry, darling," Iris' voice could be heard over the screaming.

"_James_!" Len roared, running up the stairs, "Calm the _fuck _down, kid!"

He grabbed the boy and pulled him close, rubbing his back gently, "James, what happened?"

"Daddy," the blonde boy sighed, and fell asleep in Len's hold.

"Well," Len snorted, "I guess we're off to the psychiatrist."

**That was much longer than expected. Sorry about that... Anyway... Yeah.**


	3. Chapter 3

**People are actually following this! Wow… Um, I've decided that I'll continue, so this is the third time. I'm planning on writing a FanFiction based on the last chapter. Let me know what you think! **

**Poor, darling James. He's going to be so~ embarrassed – This chapter is based on something that happened to my younger cousin and myself when we were younger.**

The psychologist, Len had decided, was a genius. After assessing the blonde boy for three hours, he had determined that James was under too much stress, and so had partially regressed. He had informed Len, strictly, that he was to allow James to act in the way that one would normally expect a child of four or five to behave.

Along with this, he had provided Len with a list of (cheap) toys and games that would encourage the boy to think, as well as keep him occupied.

It was bliss.

James sat on the carpet, absorbed in a game that he'd invented, when he saw out of the corner of his eye the door opening.

"_Why_?"

"Listen," Len whispered into Mark's ear, "The doc told me James needed a game that made him imagine shit, and I can't buy kids clothes! You remember what happened when I took the kid out to buy them the first time?"

"Yeah,"

"So you know why I needed you to do it!"

"But isn't dress-ups a girls' game?"

"We'll try it out, and if he doesn't like it, we can return them."

"Actually, we can't."

Len groaned, "Why not?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I nicked 'em."

"Aw, dude,"

"Just shut your fucking mouth and take them. I just grabbed one of everything,"

"Cool."

Len turned to look at the boy, who had stopped playing and was now looking at the new entrant to the room.

"Uncle Len, why's Uncle Mark here?"

"Well, bud," Len chuckled, "Uncle Mark just came over 'cause he bought you a new game,"

"Really?" James' eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, "Can I play with it?"

"Yeah, 'course you can!"

"Yay!" He squealed, and ran to Mark, peeking his face into one of the bags.

Mark smiled, and petted the boy on the head, "Come on,"

"Why?"

"I'm sorry."

"Fuck you."

"I'm so sorry."

"Fuck. You."

"I'm fucking sorry, dude! Okay?"

"Uncle Mark!" The loud shout attracted the attention of the two older men.

"What's up, buddy?" Mark asked, putting on a brave face.

It was difficult. It's difficult for men to smile when they have a nine-year-old wiggling in their face. Particularly when said nine-year-old is clad in nothing – _Nothing _– But a tu-tu.

"I wanna play with you!" The child exclaimed, winding his arms around his adopted Uncle's neck. "I am the fairy princess, and _you_," He poked Len in the face, "Need to be the really strong prince who saves me."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Okay, then," Mark heaved, picking up the small boy and hoisting him over his shoulder.

James squealed incomprehensibly as he was suddenly thrown into a den of pillows and bean-bags.

"I don't think that this prince is really a prince! I think," Mark adopted an aggressive pose, "_I _think, that this prince is really a _dragon_!" He then pounced onto the giggling boy. But, he stopped after a minute, standing up and turning to Len.

After the two shared a look, Mark pushed past his friend and left the house, slamming the door on his way out.

The small boy stood and looked after Mark, unhappiness printed all over his face.

"It's okay, bud," Len mumbled to the child, walking over and picking him up.

"Daddy?" James asked without thinking, "Why'd he leave?"

Len chuckled, and picked up the discarded jeans on the floor.

"This costume was made for girls, and –"

Blushing, the man looked down.

"And what?"

"Um," Len moaned, trying to figure out an appropriate way to say it to a nine-year-old, "Your, um, _willy_'s hanging out."

**Yeah… So, that happened when my cousin was little. He was playing around with my dress-ups – I never really wore the tu-tu, so I wasn't worried. Anyway… Yeah.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I went to Epcot for the second time today, and it was marvellous. First of all, in the Japan section, I bought a ****_Hello Kitty_**** onesie for myself as well as some post-cards, and then later we watched the candlelight choir. It was beautiful! The lights were absolutely stunning. **

**I decided that it was so enjoyable, I would write a chapter about Epcot with all of the rogues. Including Piper – This means that James is older by a few years (I've put him at thirteen, Piper at fourteen, and Wally (who is going to be in this) at thirteen as well)**

Wally winced as he was hit by a bouncing James Jesse's shoulder.

"Watch it!" He exclaimed, leaning away from his hyper-active friend, "Have you had your meds today?"

Len turned to the boys from the front seat, "Actually, he hasn't. He needs to have eaten, but because we started driving while you guys were still sleeping…"

"Aw," Wally moaned, avoiding yet another hit from Trickster.

"Ah, don't mind him," Len chuckled, turning back to face the front. He sat next to Mark, who was driving the group to Epcot. "We'll have something before we head inside – Luckily we've already got our tickets."

"Why's we goin' back to Epcot?" James asked, in a slightly whiny voice.

"Yesterday," Len explained in a patient tone, "We went to the main attractions, but today we're going to the different country exhibitions,"

The blonde boy's eyes widened, "Do we have to go on a plane again?" He choked out, his thumb making its way to his mouth – This was a habit that Len had noticed developing over the past few years.

"No, kiddo – This is just an exhibit kind of thing. You won't have to take another plane until we go to Las Vegas, so not for another few weeks."

"Don't like planes," The boy mumbled, and turning away from Wally, leant down onto a still-sleeping Hartley's shoulder.

The other red-headed boy gave a large yawn and sat up. "Whassup?"

"We're going to Epcot," Wally said in a glum monotone, looking out the window wistfully, "I wanna _run_."

"Too bad, Brat Flash – You're sticking with us."

Mark growled from the driver's seat. "Will you guys _shut the bloody hell up!?_"

"Sorry Uncle Mark!" Two of the boys chimed from the back seat. James had buried his face into Hartley's side and was once again snoring peacefully.

"I wish I was able to sleep like you guys!" Wally exclaimed incredulously, staring in shock at James and Hartley, the latter of whom was beginning to nod off.

"It may seem nice, kid," Mark said gruffly, "But it's pretty damn annoying when they fall asleep in their food,"

"Particularly when James wets himself," Len whispers, and the two men in front snicker.

"That's kinda mean," Laughed Wally, who had heard the exchange between them.

"Ah, it's fine," Laughed Mark.

Len sighed as he leaned back, "He can't hear us."

They continued driving for half an hour before arriving in the parking lot, and walking together (or in James' case, being half-carried) to a small grassy area where they ate some sandwiches.

It took half an hour in line before Len noticed that one of his charges had disappeared. "Yo, Mark," Len turned to his friend, "Where's Tricks?"

"I dunno," He looked back to the two other teenagers who had been cut off by pushy crowd-members, "Hey," He called, "Have either of you seen James?"

The two looked up from the small screen of Hartley's iPod, and shook their heads.

Mark and Len frowned, and looked around – Seeing a familiar set of lime green pants, Len darted out of the line, barging through an elderly couple, and apologising profusely while turning back to wave at his small group. He then ran ahead after his pseudo-son (though he wasn't sure if that was the case – The boy hadn't called him 'Daddy' in years)

"James!" Len called, beginning to panic.

The boy turned and looked around for a minute, trying to locate the source of his name. Deciding that either it wasn't anyone he knew, or he couldn't find the source, he ran off.

Len growled and muttered darkly under his breath something about retarded kids.

Walking up to one of the workers, he tapped her on the shoulder. He was greeted with a smile by a friendly young woman.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asked happily, giving him a bright smile.

"Um, yeah," He said, slightly surprised at being addressed as 'sir', "My kid ran off, and I can't catch up to him – I was wondering if I could get you to keep an eye out for him if he comes by,"

"Of course, sir," She said pleasantly, "What does he look like? I can also ask some of the other attendants to help out,"

"Thank you so much; He's blonde and kinda small, wearing bright green pants, a bright orange jacket, and he's tan."

"And his name?"

"James – James Jesse."

"Thank you, sir,"

"Thank you, and sorry!" Len ran off, away from the girl, following the path that he'd seen James take.

He ran across a bridge, past hundreds of couples with and without young children.

"James!" He yelled, running as fast as he could, trying to catch up to the teenager, "James, you're a big, mature boy, and I need you to come back here _right now_!"

People stared at him like he was a lunatic, but Len didn't care – He just wanted to get his kid back.

Suddenly, he felt his foot catch and found himself toppling over the edge of the bridge, and he fell straight into the freezing cold lake.

A large crowd of people gathered around, and Len heard mutterings about the 'poor, drunk man' and growled.

He tried to sit up, but when a sharp twinge of pain started he found that he couldn't move anymore.

An assistant climbed down and moved Len to the bank, "Sir, how badly are you hurt?"

"Well, I can't move, and my _son_," He winced, "Has run off and I don't know where he is," Another wince, "So I'd probably say I'm _pretty damn hurt_,"

"Sorry sir," The attendant grimaced, and helped put Len onto an awaiting stretcher.

Len looked around the crowd using his eyes only, and at the back of the crowd he saw Mark holding the wrist of James very tightly, and giving the kid's butt a good whack.

The blonde boy turned to look at Len, and tears started flowing down his face.

"Daddy!"

Mark looked shocked at the outburst, and the two other teens behind them were solemn.

The older man suddenly found himself surrounded by his small group; A sobbing James, a worried Mark, a slightly vibrating speedster, and an exceedingly stressed-looking Hartley.

"Daddy," James sobbed, and Mark, sensing a meltdown, put his arms around the boy, lifting him up.

The hospital room was incredibly sterile, and Len didn't like it at all. He'd been taken there in an ambulance, while Mark had driven with the kids.

James, who had fallen asleep as soon as he knew Len was okay, was drooling on Mark's lap. Wally was fidgeting awkwardly, not quite sure of his place with the rogues. Hartley was looking out the window, biting his lip. As for Mark, well, the man was trying desperately not to move – He didn't want to have to deal with _another _of James' meltdowns.

"Mark," Len whispered.

"Yeah?"

"The doctor said it'd be better soon," He whispered again, "You should probably take the kids home,"

"In a little while."

"No," Len urged, "Now."

Wally looked up curiously. "Why now?"

"Because James just peed himself." Len said in a hollow voice, and sure enough, when Mark, Wally and Hartley looked over, a dark stain was spreading on the crotch of the blonde's pants.

"Aw, jeez," Mark groaned, rolling his eyes, 'What'll we do with this kid?"

**Well, this is the third-last part. There'll be one more accidental 'Daddy' and then the purposeful one.**

**This chapter actually took me quite a while to write (when it comes to my writing, anyway), so I hope that you enjoyed it. Just as a little side-note; Somebody bought TWO of my things on RedBubble – And these are reasonably expensive things, too! I'm ****_really _****happy about that. Reviews make happiness people! And happiness means more writing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's the last of the accidental chapters! So exciting. If you guys saw my recent ****_Batman _****fic, ****_My Precious Sons_****, I hope that you know I did not mean any offense at all, and have attempted to rectify what I did.**

**James is so cute – I don't want this to end. Now, I don't know why, but whenever I imagine him, or write him, I always see him as being a kid with a lot of autistic tendencies. If you notice these, and feel that they're wrong, feel free to let me know. **

**And just a bit of exciting news – I've finally been able to get the paperwork together so that I can be diagnosed formally with autism! It's going to be such a relief to know whether I really am or not. **

**There's been another time-jump for this chapter. James is now fifteen, and he's off on his own… Kind of.**

**I hope that you enjoy this. **

Trickster was running away from the toy store twenty feet in the air when he felt a strong hand grab him by the back of his neck, and stop him from moving.

Not able to move his head, James squirmed uncomfortably.

"Get off! Get _off_, you –" He was swung around by whoever had grabbed him, and found himself face-to-face with the head Cape himself; Superman.

"Ugh," The boy groaned, rolling his eyes, "Why are _you _here? This isn't your turf! Go back where you belong, bloody _cape_," James accentuated the last word by spitting in the Kryptonian's face.

"Brat," Clark grumbled, floating to the ground where the police waited with handcuffs.

When they moved to take Trickster away, however, Superman reached out his hand, pulling the teenaged Rogue back to him. "He's coming with me," He said, picking James up and taking off.

Needless to say, Trickster was terrified. He screamed and wailed; Kicked and bit; Thrashed and sobbed, but the man of steel never relented.

After half an hour of slow, painful flight, he finally touched down and James attempted to throw himself to the ground, wailing pitifully when he found himself jerked back.

Batman and Black Canary were having a conversation about Young Justice when they were interrupted by the sobs from outside. They went out to investigate, and Canary was shocked by the scene they were confronted with.

"Either of you seen the Flash? I got a delivery here for him," Superman said, before throwing the sobbing boy to the ground and brushing past them inside.

Batman glared after his old colleague for a moment before turning to the villain in front of him. "Get up," He ordered darkly, grabbing the blonde by the neck once again.

Batman and Canary marched the boy indoors, overriding the system to allow the rogue inside.

As soon as he was near it, James collapsed on the couch, his sobs now subsided but his knees wobbling dangerously. Dinah watched him worriedly.

Flash raced into the room and noticing his rogue, ran to the boy. The two exchanged a few words, and Flash ran over to Batman and Black Canary, who were watching him expectantly. Luckily, Young Justice were out on a mission, and so weren't there to hear the conversation.

"Why's he here?" Dinah whispered, "I mean, Clark just shows up out of nowhere with this kid!"

"It's a long story, one I'd rather not go into while he's in the same room," The red-clad man hissed back before going back to Trickster, who had once more begun to sob.

"Hey, kiddo," Barry whispered to James, rubbing circles on his back, "I heard what happened. You're gonna stay here for a little while, 'kay?"

"H-h-h-he m-ma-made me –" The boy choked on his words and broke into hysterics, babbling incoherently as his enemy tried to calm him.

Barry sent a pained look behind him to Batman and Canary, sending an unsaid message pleading with them to leave him with the boy.

They complied reluctantly.

After finally calming the kid down – Not an easy feat – The Flash went and found Batman and Black Canary to give them the low-down on the situation.

"Barry, what the _fuck_?" Batman roared as the scarlet speedster entered the room.

"Jeez," Barry exclaimed, narrowly avoiding Batman's fist, "Bats, calm down!"

"What's going on, Barry?" Dinah asked, stepping forward between the two men, "Why did Clark bring that boy here? He's a villain –"

"He's not a villain," Barry groaned, "He's a rogue. They actually get offended when they're called 'villains'…"

"That's not the point," Bruce growled, slipping off his cowl, "You shouldn't have allowed this to happen,"

"It's not like I could help it! Anyway," He lowered his voice, "I just got a call from Captain Boomerang a few minutes ago. He and all of the adult rogues have been arrested, and Trickster's been all alone for a few days now. I asked Clark to collect him for me. It's not an ideal situation, but he _has _stayed with me before, and it shouldn't be for too long –"

"Fine," Batman said, as he stormed past his colleagues and out of the room.

"Yes,"

"But why here? He can't stay at your house?" Canary glared daggers at the man, crossing her arms.

"Well, not really… My wife isn't very well at the moment, and we have Wally with us right now, and it's just a bit too much to have a mentally ill child on top of that,"

"Hmm,"

"I'm sorry, but it's the only place where he'll be safe,"

"You're worried about _his _safety?"

"Yes,"

Dinah 'humphed' and turned away, "I suppose he needs meds?"

"Yeah,"

"Do you know what they are?"

"Not right now, but I can find out,"

"You go and do that. I'll talk to the kid,"

"Thank you, Dinah," Barry called, and he sped out of the room.

"Good grief," Dinah rolled her eyes before marching out of the room towards her new charge.

When Barry got back from a chat with James' psychiatrist, he was a bit shocked to find the boy using hi boots to explore Red Tornado's loft.

"James," He called up to the boy, "How long has it been since you took your meds?"

"I'unno," The boy yelled back, ducking his head through a small hole.

"Well, then, you should probably come down here and have some," Barry yelled, brandishing a plastic bags full of various medications.

"No!"

"Yes,"

"No!"

"James,"

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo –"

"What is going on?" A confused M'Gann asked from the doorway. The two had been yelling so loudly that they hadn't heard the team's arrival announced.

"Hey, kids," Barry laughed, racing over and ruffling Wally's hair.

"Flash," Robin asked tentatively, "Why is one of your villains here?"

"Hey!" Trickster shouted, glaring at Robin, "I'm not a villain! I'm a rogue," He stuck his tongue out at the Boy Wonder.

"Um… Sorry?"

"You'd better be!"

"Trickster!" Barry yelled at the blonde rogue, "Get down here and apologise,"

"No!"

"Yes," The Flash's voice grew deeper, and Wally gulped, knowing what was going through his uncle's head.

"But _he _insulted _me _first!" James countered, thinking that this argument proved him right.

"Trickster, get your butt down here,"

"Fine," The boy pouted, waking down on the air to stand in front of the team.

"Now, Robin – Apologise please," Flash asked, and Robin quickly complied, "And Tricks; You too,"

"Hm… Fine. Sorry,"

"Um… That's okay?"

"Can I go play now?" James whined, looking pleadingly up at Barry.

'Yes, but first you have to take some of these," James made a face at the bag of medication, "And you need to stay out of peoples' private rooms,"

"Fiiiiiiiiine,"

"Good boy," Barry smiled, and patted James' head.

Robin looked at the exchange confusedly, "Flash?"

"Hm?" The man looked down, smiling at his nephew's close friend, "What's up, Rob?"

"You didn't answer my question," The black-haired boy pouted, "Why's Trickster here?"

"Well, his… _parents _have been arrested, and so he's staying here for a few days. Connor; You and M'Gann are alright with that, right?"

M'Gann and Connor nodded silently.

"Cool," He sighed, relieved, "Now, Trickster, you're coming with me,"

"But –"

"No 'buts', mister,"

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiine,"

James didn't go easily, but was dragged to the kitchen kicking and screaming by Barry.

"Come on, kid," Barry moaned, as his upper arm received another smack, "You should be used to this,"

"No! I don't wanna!"

The man, finally arriving at the kitchen, used his superspeed to pick up his charge and place him on a barstool.

"What do you like to drink, _James_," He emphasised the name with a knowing look.

"Um… I'unno," James pondered for a moment, and Barry chuckled lightly to himself. The kid actually found it a difficult question – How cute. "I like juice –"

"Juice – Okay, I can work with –"

"But I also like grape soda," The boy continued, a confused look on his face, "And I like Dr Pepper, and I like chocolate milk, and I like –"

"Okay, James. I get it. You like a lot of drinks, don't you? But," He took a deep breath, noticing the boy's face scrunch up, "Let's just stick with juice,"

Opening the fridge, Barry turned to the blonde who looked on the verge of tears, "James," He spoke softly, trying not to push his youngest rogue over the edge, "We have two types of juice. Which would you like? We have pineapple-mango, or raz-apple,"

"The doctor says that raspberry makes me sick," James mumbled, "So can I have the pineapple please?"

"Of course you can, buddy," Barry smiled, turning around to grab the drink.

A few hours after finally convincing James to take his medication, Barry found himself attempting to break up the small group of friends that had formed. Wally, Connor, Dick and James were sitting around the lounge table, playing _Monopoly_ with very serious expressions on their faces.

"Kid Flash," He said, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "It's time for us to go,"

"In a minute, 'kay?" The boy said distractedly, "I'm kinda busy here,"

"Nope, we're going now,"

"But Flaaash!"

"KF," Barry warned, crossing his arms.

"Ah, fine," Wally said, throwing his money on the table, "Bye, guys,"

James moved to get up as well, but Barry caught him. The man pulled the boy to another room, wondering why he hadn't done this earlier.

"James," He said softly, taking the boy's face in his hands and tilting it to look at his own, "You're not going to come back to my house this time, understand?"

Instantly James' eyes welled up with tears.

"Why not?" His lower lip trembled, and Barry felt extremely guilty, "Are you – Are you leaving me, too?"

"What do you mean, buddy? I'm not leaving you. Why would you think that?"

"Be-be-b-because first Mamma and Papa left, and then –" The boy choked a bit before continuing, tears streaming down his face, "And then Uncle Len and ick went out and none of them came back, and so I was alone, and now you've brought me to this strange place, and now you're going away and I thought I would go with you, but I'm not and –"

"Hold on, kiddo," Barry said, wiping some of the tears from James' face, "I'm just going to my house for the night. You're going to stay here with Connor and M'Gann and Red Tornado and maybe Black Canary,"

"But –"

"And _I _will be back in the morning to check on you,"

"Promise?" James whispered, looking at the floor dejectedly.

"Yes," Barry sighed, pulling the small teenager in for a hug, "I absolutely promise,"

"Okay," The blonde boy smiled shyly up at the man who was slowly becoming less like an enemy and more like a friend.

"Good boy, now, do you have your stuff from home, or do you need it?"

"I don't have anything," He pouted, "Not even my teddy,"

"I'll see what I can do about that," Barry laughed, ruffling the boy's hair, "Do you have any special things you need?"

"Um… Uncle Len says that I need to wear a diaper to bed, but I really don't, and I like wearing my yellow pyjamas and they're on my bed and my teddy is, too, his name is Bloo and I need some clothes and stuff and –"

"That's okay, James, I think I got it. I'll be back in a Flash," Barry laughed triumphantly, and he sped off, only to be back in a minute with a bag full of clothing and holding a bright yellow teddy bear.

"Thank you, mister Flash," James said, and gave the man a brief hug.

"Do you know where you're sleeping?" When the boy shook his head, Barry sighed, "Okay, I'll ask Red Tornado to give you a room. I've got to go now, or else Iris will be mad. Bye," And with that, he was off, dragging Wally with him, and leaving a very confused James behind.

Black Canary, who had finished work for the night, found herself being ordered by Batman to spend the night at the mountain with the members of Young Justice living there, and the young rogue.

"What happened to Red Tornado? I thought _he _was supposed to be Den Mother,"

"Red Tornado is on a mission. Hurry up and get here so I can take Robin home – You'll need to help get the brat ready for bed. His meds are wearing off, and he's not allowed to take them before going to sleep,"

"Ugh, this is ridiculous –"

"Just hurry up,"

"Yes, sir," She mock saluted the screen after Batman disconnected.

Riding through the back door, Black Canary grimaced at the woman's voice announcing her arrival. She knew what that meant – And sure enough, Batman rounded the corner carrying a sleeping Robin over one shoulder, and pulling a hysterical Trickster by the wrist.

"You're late," He growled, throwing the blonde boy at her, "Get him to sleep – I'm going home,"

Trickster stumbled, and fell into the woman, his crying ceasing with surprise.

"Fine," She heaved a heavy sigh, and looked at the blonde boy, who was peeking up at her meekly. His eyes were puffy and red, and the corners of his mouth were pulled downwards in a frown.

_He's cute_, Canary found herself thinking, but she shook her head of the thought, and turned a glare down at the small face.

"Come on, kid," She said gruffly, and pulled the rogue with her back to the main rooms.

The two stopped in the living room, and Black Canary noted that the boy had been silent for the entire walk. She turned to face him, having been unable to for the few minutes it had been, and was shocked to see his eyes drooping heavily.

"Seriously? It's nine o'clock, kid. Robin has an excuse, but you're, like, fifteen. Shouldn't you be bouncing off the rafters until two in the morning or something?"

"Mm… M'doctor says I gotta sleep f'r at lea –" James' slurred talking stopped as he opened his mouth wide to yawn, " – Eigh' hours a nigh' else my meds won' work prop'ly,"

"If you say so," Dinah said, slightly surprised, "Bats said I needed to get you ready for bed? What do you need?"

"Um…" She noticed the boy's eyes go blank for a moment as he fidgeted slowly, "Unc – _Cold _says I need t' wear a diaper to bed," He whispered, a deep blush forming on his cheeks, "An' he doesn't want me to put it on myself 'cause I might do it wrong…" He trailed off, looking at the ground.

"Ah," Canary gives a slightly disgusted look to the boy, but he doesn't notice, "Well, let's get this over with,"

Dinah once again led the boy through the cave, only stopping once to ask him where his room was. When they got there, she sorted through his bag, thankful that she didn't have to do this every night.

"So," She started, trying to make the situation slightly less awkward for herself and James, "You've met the other kids, right? Do you like them?"

She smiled when the boy's eyes lit up brightly, and he started rambling quickly, "Wally's been my friend for a _looooooooooooong _time and he's really cool and today I met Robin and Robin's nice even though he's a kid because he laughs a lot and plays funny games – Not at all like Batman because Batman is dark and scary and –"

He'd continued rambling for another minute or so until he noticed the woman tightening the tape straps of the diaper.

"There," She said, relieved, "All done,"

The boy's face grew thoughtful for a moment, before he looked back up at Canary.

"What's your name?" He asked her, smiling.

"I don't know if I should tell you my real name," She laughed at him, pulling him upright into a sitting position, "But you can call me Canary if you want,"

"M'Kay," He smiled, and bounded off the bed where he'd been lying, and over to his backpack where he pulled out something bright and yellow. He shrugged into the one-piece footsie pyjamas before bounding over and giving Canary a hug.

"Night-night!" He laughed happily, and snuggled under the covers.

"G'night, squirt," Dinah left the room, waving to the boy before turning off the lights, closing the door and heading to the kitchen.

It was about two in the morning when he started screaming. Connor was the first to hear it, sitting up suddenly in bed where he'd fallen asleep with Wolf draped over him.

Connor went to alert Canary to the noise, and he found her sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, doing yesterday's crossword.

"Black Canary," He said in his hoarse voice drawing the woman's attention, "Trickster is screaming,"

The woman's eyes widened, and she stood up, making a beeline for the teenager's room.

Bursting through the door, Canary was shocked to see the blonde tearing at his skin, sobbing and pleading desperately.

"Mamma! Papa!" He cried, as Canary rushed over to grab his arms. After making sure that he wouldn't hurt himself, she put her arms around him and rocked backwards and forwards, trying desperately to calm him.

"Mamma," He whimpered, opening tear-filled eyes and looking up at Canary, "Mamma,"

He placed his face into her chest and sighed, snuggling in. Dinah couldn't bring herself to stop him.

"Oh, sweetheart," She sighed, and stood him up, "Did you have a nightmare?"

The blonde boy paused, and then nodded slowly, not pulling his face away.

"Do you have nightmares often?"

Again, he paused for a small while before nodding.

She sighed, pulling the boy away from her by the shoulders.

"Let's go have a hot drink and maybe we can talk about this," She said, taking James' chin and forcing him to look at her, "That's what I seem to do all the time, anyway,"

"M'Kay," He whispered, ducking his head as soon as it was released.

"Good boy," Dinah smiled, and taking James' hand, led the boy to the kitchen.

After about an hour of gentle coaxing, Canary finally got Trickster to talk.

"Your nightmare must have been really bad, huh?"

"Mm-hmm," Trickster nodded, looking into the now-empty cup.

"Will you tell me what it was about?"

"Mm…"

"It's okay," Dinah whispered, patting the boy's knee, "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to,"

"I don't want Uncl – Cold to leave me,"

"You don't want Cold to leave you? Why not?"

"Everyone left," He choked, gripping the mug tightly, "Mamma and Papa left me first, and then I went to Len, and he didn't leave me, but he had girlfriends and some of them were nice, but they all left, and Wally sometimes plays with me, but then he leaves, and Piper comes and lives with us sometimes, but he always leaves, and –"

"Okay, baby," Canary crooned to the boy, as he started sobbing again, "It's okay,"

The blonde boy nodded, looking down as tears dripped from his eyes.

"Cold won't leave you, darling; I'm sure he'll be back for you soon,"

"That's what Flasher said, but –" He sobbed loudly.

"'But' nothing; You can stay here for as long as it takes for Cold to get out of jail. I promise,"

"Okay," James whispered, cuddling into a pillow to his side.

"Let's get you back to bed, 'kay, hon?"

"Okay," He mumbled.

Three weeks and two days later, Captain Cold was released from prison. He returned home, only to find his pseudo-son missing, with no note and several possessions missing.

Len found himself running to the home of Barry Allen once more, knocking on the door continuously, even after the shout of "I'm coming,"

"What do you –" Iris cut off when she saw the breathless man at the front door, "Barry!" She called, attempting to slam the door shut.

"Wait," Len heaved, grabbing the door before it closed, "Please – My son. I don't know where he is, and I'm pretty damn sure that Flasher does. Can I talk to him?"

Iris would have told him to leave, but when she saw the look of desperation on the man's face, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Come in," She sighed, opening the door wide to allow Captain Cold in.

"Thank you," He flashed her a brief, tense smile.

Iris led the rogue to the kitchen where her husband was eating.

"Barry, you've got a visitor,"

"Oh, really, who is –" Barry stopped mid-sentence when he saw Captain Cold standing at the door to his kitchen, "Len!" He shouted, jumping up and getting into costume within a few seconds.

"Come on," The Flash yelled, grabbing Cold's hand and rushing them out of the house.

Len was surprised when he found himself standing in the middle of a room filled with various members of the Justice League and their protégés. He was worried for a few seconds, before he turned and saw in the corner a familiar striped uniform.

"Ja – Trickster!" He yelled, happy, surprised and relieved to see his would-be son playing in the corner with some other kids his age.

The boy turned, and seeing his guardian smiled brightly. He got up and ran to the older man screaming "Daddy!"

They hugged in the middle of the room for a few seconds, Cold holding Trickster up before nervous coughs were heard. Barry came over and sped with the two to James' room, where they packed the boy's bag and spoke in hushed tones. Canary let herself in a few minutes later.

"How was he?" Cold asked, looking pleadingly at the two heroes.

"I wouldn't know," Barry laughed, "Canary's been looking after him,"

"He's been fine," The woman smiled, petting James' hair affectionately. He'd fallen asleep on Len's shoulder quickly, "He sure does fall asleep quickly, doesn't he?"

"Yeah – He didn't always. Picked it up from Boomerang I suspect,"

"Does he always have nightmares?"

"Sometimes,"

"He had one every night you were gone,"

Len's smile dropped completely. "He what?"

"He thought you'd left him," She smiled sadly, "Every night he had the same dream,"

"Oh,"

"He called you Daddy,"

"He doesn't do that much,"

"Really?"

"Mm…"

"How do you do this? How do you look after him when there's so much wrong with him?"

"Simple," Len laughed, kissing his boy on the forehead, "I love him,"

**That was WAY longer than expected… I really hope you enjoy this one – Particularly the new follower. You're not going to get many updates… There's only one chapter left after this.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, it's the end of an era… (A very short era) **

**This, my friends, is the last chapter of ****_Daddy_****, and I, for one, am very sad. Plus, this chapter has been lurking in my mind for a few days. It's… kind of sad, really.**

**Anyway, as it is the end, I would love to hear what you guys think of it – Reviews are appreciated, but not mandatory. Again, I've really enjoyed this, and I'm sad to see it go, so if you guys have any ideas (SongFics, poems, stories), just send me a message and I'll see what I can do.**

"Len, I –"

"Shut your mouth, you ungrateful _cunt_," Len's words stung James terribly. The Italian man winced and looked away from the man he'd basically been raised by.

"I'm sorry," He whispered quietly, daring a look at the older man.

"You left," Len's voice was hollow, devoid of emotion, "You left, and now you've come back, and you just expect me – Expect _all _of us – To take you back. Piper may have been able to, but I can't,"

"I'm sorry," Tears dropped from James' eyes onto his blue suit, "I'm so, _so_, sorry,"

"Get out," Len ordered sharply, slapping his ex-colleague's face, "Get the _fuck _out of my house and _never _come back,"

"Len, I –"

"_Get out_,"

"No," James cried, punching Len's chest and knocking the wind out of the older man.

Len righted himself slowly, never taking his eyes off the man in front of him.

He turned slowly, and walked away.

"Daddy," James whispered; A last attempt at recognition.

The man never turned back.

**I know. Short. Sorry about that. But, I hope that you enjoyed this story, from start to finish.**


End file.
